Veidekke (Norway)

Lean construction has inspired the AEC industry globally over the last decades, and this manifests within a wide array of contexts. The purpose of this paper is to provide a narrative-based qualitative analysis of the emergence and impact of Lean construction on a national level, notably in the Norwegian AEC industry. The analysis is based on the concept of paradigm shift and on empirical knowledge in the form of narratives. The narratives of practitioners and researchers provide deep insights into how Lean Construction has inspired the Norwegian AEC industry and academia, respectively. The reflections indicate that the introduction of the Lean construction principles and tools in the Norwegian AEC industry has depended on promoters who have been convinced about its advantages. The role of active promoters – in particular Dr. Glenn Ballard – is underlined as key to successful introduction of Lean Construction. Key cultural features of the Norwegian AEC industry are emphasized as important success factors. Lean Construction in Norway needs to be understood as a phenomenon occurring within a setting that is generally advantageous but also following an effort carried out on several levels. Key elements that can be used within other contexts are (1) the existence of promoters, (2) cooperation between industry and academic circles, (3) a high degree of trust and (4) a predominance of bottom-up organizations within the industry with few levels of hierarchy.

In March 2014, the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten released the first of 45 articles concerning the shadow economy of the Norwegian construction industry.It provided evidence that criminal actors continuously managed to infiltrate the construction supply chain.Therefore, this paper investigates the following research questions:1) What are the main challenges regarding work-related crime?2) How do contractors manage their reputation in the aftermath of work-related crime executed by subcontractors?This exploratory study started with a literature review.It was followed by a case study based on a document study and 12 semistructured in-depth interviews with representatives on strategic level.Some particularities of the AEC-industry makes it vulnerable to work-related crime.Complex supply chains, autonomous project managers measured on net profit, high weight on price etc. are examples of characteristics.The literature review reveals a knowledge gap regarding the current state when it comes to crime and crime-prevention within the industry.The findings indicate that the contractors managed the reputational challenges that emerged in the aftermath well on a strategical level.This was accomplished by clearly distancing themselves from the criminal actors within their projects, while still taking responsibility for correcting the situation.In this case study, the client even expressed increased trust in the major contractor after experiencing how the major contractor handled the situation.However such an approach might work the first or second time, but such an approach might work a couple of times, but with repeated infiltration of criminal actors the contractors have to do more than distancing themselves.Future research should focus on how contractors work to prevent workrelated crime on the operational level.